Tasmania full of ‘missed opportunities’ for Team 18
The 2024 Tasmania SuperSprint is a tale of what could have been for Team 18, which had speed, but not the results it had hoped.
It was always going to be a big weekend with Mark Winterbottom being the first to notch up 600 consecutive race starts and Reynolds racking up 450 race starts.
The weekend started brilliantly with Reynolds topping Friday practice, but both drivers were knocked out in Q2 on Saturday.
Reynolds had a steady race to be ninth, while “Frosty” was spun by Andre Heimgartner in the hairpin.
Come Sunday, it was Reynolds’ turn to find trouble at the tight left hander when fighting for a top four spot with Brodie Kostecki.
It meant a possible podium only amounted to 22nd for the #20.
Winterbottom was always on the back foot after qualifying on the back row, but still fought his way into the top 10 with an impressive ninth.
It left the Team 18 drivers feeling a lot more was possible at Symmons Plains.
“It was a weekend of just missed opportunities,” Winterbottom said.
“The cars were fast, Dave was very fast, he did a very good job this weekend.
“We adopted his car for that last race like for like and my thing lit up as well and was really fast.
“I qualified 23rd and drove through to 9th, which was great, so as a team it obviously was a very strong weekend.”
Despite the spin, Reynolds thought he was one of the fastest cars on track.
“Unfortunately, didn’t end up the best, but it started the best,” he said.
“I started third but probably should have been pole. I got my first gear stuck out of the hairpin, and lost a tenth, which would have put me on pole.
“We started well before I got turned around, by Brodie, and then I was just a wounded soldier after that a couple laps down.
“Once I got going, I was probably one of the fastest cars, even though I was two laps down.
“There’s lots of positive we can take from the weekend, so we are gaining momentum.”
Image: Mark Horsburgh
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